Means for registering printing plates



Feb. 9, 1954 s. w. LIPPITT MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES v Filed Aug. 1, 195o e sheets-'sheet 1 INVENTOR. W. L /PP/ rr #formez/5 MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES Filed Aug. l, 1950 S. W. LlPPlTT MANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING- PLATES Feb. 9, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 1, 1950 INVENTOR v 0 ad,

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Feb. 9V, Y' s. w. LIVPVPITT 2,668,363

MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES Filed Aug. l, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN1/Emule.

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MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES Filed Aug. l, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 lllll i llll 1 INVENTOR. .5'76 P//f/v W. L l PP/ TT lid/, v y

Feb.' 9, 1954 S W, ppm A 2,668,363

MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES Filed Aug. l, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 y l ff l' 30 eww UJJ i*,` Ll

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SUPPLY INVENTQR.

M; @am f77/M Patented Feb. 9, 1,954

MEANS FOR REGISTERING PRINTING PLATES Stephen W. Lippitt, Lakewood, Ohio, assigner to The Cleveland Shopping News Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 1, 1950, Serial No. 176,941

Claims. l

This invention relates to a system of insuring registration of printing plates made from matrices previously impressed to form a pattern for the plates to be cast against them, as in the usual stereotype process. The invention is concerned primarily with the operation by which the formed matrix or mat is tested for accuracy of the regis@ tration marks at the head and tail thereof, and then has its margins trimmed in accurate relation to the position of such registration marks.

By this system a number of mats may be successively trimmed in absolute uniformity, so that the printing plates made therefrom may be used successively for producing surmounting images in proper registration with each other, such registration being highly important, especially in color printing.

To the above ends, I have provided a method of mounting the mat, and a machine useful in carrying out the operation, wherein mats with improperly placed registration marks may be immediately discarded, after mounting and testing in the machine, and those with proper registration marks may have their margins trimmed without disturbing their tested position in the machine. Thus, successive mats, may all have identical edges with reference to their registration marks, so that the plates produced therefrom when clamped at their edges in similar positions on the printing rollers will have their matter in perfect registration.

`My method, and a preferred form of machine for use in performing the method, is illustrated in the drawings hereof and hereinafter described in detail.

Briefly, the method comprises taking a mat, which has at least two registration marks at each end, and clamping it at one end on a movable carrier in such position that the marks at that end register with the cross hairs of positioned eyepieces through which the marks may be observed. Then without'changing the position of the eyepieces, the carrier is moved until the marks at the other end of the mat are brought into the field of the eye pieces.

Now if the marks at the far end of theplate do not so register with the cross hairs of the eyepieces or cannot be brought into such registration by a very slight skewing of the mat on the carrier, that mat is discarded as faulty, and the operation is repeated with another mat. On the other hand, when the registration marks at the far end do register with the positioned eye-pieces, it follows that the mat is perfectly marked, and it is then eiectively clamped at the second end to the car' rier.

After the properly positioned mat has beenclamped on the carrier the next operation is to trim the margins of the mat. In the machine shown, the trimming of the longitudinal edges is effected by pressing cutters against the mat at its opposite margins while the carrier is moved in a path at right angles to the line connecting the marks at either end. Thus such longitudinal edges are trimmed in absolute parallelism and in a direction at right angles to the lines of the end marks. v

Now one end of the mat is trimmed, by a traveling cutter which travels across it at a right angle to the path of the carrier. Then the other end oi the mat, while still on the carrier, is trimmed in parallelism with the rst trimmed end.

At the completion of the trimming movements the completed mat lis discharged from the carrier, and is in proper condition for mounting in the stereotype casting device.

Successive mats for any series of imprints are mounted on the carrier with the eye-pieces in the position iixed according to the rst mat, and are successively trimmed as described. The result is that all the mats of this series exactly match each other with reference to their edges and registration marks. Such marks will be reproduced on the cast stereotype plates, and hence when such plates are clamped at their edges in the printing machine and positioned with reference to their marksV they will all accurately register with each other.

As stated, myl invention includes the method above outlined and the apparatus illustrated inr tical section taken on a plane indicated by thev line 5--5 in Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the portion of the machine as shown by the line 6 6 in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a section taken on a plane indicated by the line -'i in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 isan end1 view partly in section of the drum and partly broken away illustrating the manner of attaching the mat on the drum; Fig. 9 is an end view partly in section illustrating the manner of completing the fastening of the mat on the drum; Fig. 10 is a plan view taken in the direction indicated by the -line lll-I0 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 isal fragmentary endy view showing the detail of the locking or clamping mechanism and taken in the direction indicated by the line II-II in Fig. Fig. 12 is a section taken on a plane indicated by the line |2-I2 in Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary front elevation of thef machine adjacent to. the right hand end' of. Fig. L; Fig. 14 is a sectiontakenon a plane indicated by the line I4-I4 in Fig. 13; Fig.

is a section taken on a plane indicated by the line IE-I in Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a top. plan View of. the right hand portion of the machine :Fig: 1'T isa;

diagrammatic View illustrating the electric and pneumatic system for operating; the-cutterV which,

trims the mat in a direction.transverseixrthereofi As appears more particularly in Figs. l; 5 the frame of the machine shown.v comprises a hollow box-like standard IIJ adjacent the right hand end and a vertical plate I I at theleftlhand end, and suitable horizontal cross braces as the lower beam. L3 andupper beam I3 and across rod.- I4.. Rotatablyvmountedr-in.the two-:standards Il and Il. is af shaft Zearrying between the standards af drum 33. The shaft. 2l),l as shown in: Fig, 14 extends intofthe. hollow standard. t0: and-there carries afbevel gearv 2-2- which meshes withsabevelv gear 23 on aV shaft. 24 extending out of the front of the standard.. 0n' theforward; end oi this-shaft 24fis a handwheel 2?v by whichA shafts, gearsfanddrumfmay be rotated manua y.

, Theshaft carries also. withinthehollow standard man. indexing wheel 2.6fhaving' a: pair ci notches as 26aV (Fig. 15),.in its periphery, eitherV oi whichmay be engaged: by a plunger 2l operated by hand lever 28 which'is pressedby a spring. 2d tending. to1-mantain the-plunger a notch which registers therewith.Vv By this-means the drum is definitely lookedy in either of two positions and readily freed.l

The drum 30, as shown, moref particularly in liigsfd` and 9, is arcuate for only agpo'rtion ofv its periphery and on: such arcuate portion carries arcuatejshellsl which are adjustablerlongitudinally of the drum. The shells are'secured: in

adjusted positionby radial screws 32,'. Fig.. 5',

drum, as shown in Fig. 10 and threaded in. clips' 38 securezzlto the respectivebars; Knurledknobs 39 oir theV outer ends of. thescrews enable. them tober readily` turned manually to'` shift the bar: 35 or 36in. either direction;

clamps 4 Il and for opposite-ends of the mat are secured to thek bars 35-and 36. InV use the clamps arev normally held indefinite position onf the barsbutj theyV areso mounted that' they may be shifted asd'esi'red relativev to each other and to the bars.. The clampsof each setlcomprise an anvilidl havinga foot entering;ardbvei'ai-IedI slot inthe respectiye' bar 35 or 36T; Screws43a (Fig. 8l passing through the. various,` anvil. members.- and; abutting4 the bottom. of the doyetailed-l slot on. the bar provide means for locking the` clampinany desired position to thebar..

V Each anvil member 43 pivotally ai clamping jaw 44 spring-pressed; by a; spring 45:' ssl-that ittends" to-lieA in a nonnally clamping.'

position as shown in the instance of the lower clamp in Fig, 8.

There is one clamp for each registration mark on the mat. In Figs. 2 and 3, the mat A is provided at each end with a central registration markY d. and side registration marksA a1, two of suchsidemarks being shownat each end, though the system may be used with only one side mark ai: each end. Assuming there are three registration marks, as shown, then there would be three clam-peat eacliend; as shown in Fig. 10.

The pivotal mounting of the movable jaws 44 of of the' clamps? with the exception of the two.y centralonesiseected by a pair of rods 46 andv 41 longitudinally mounted in the drum.

These rods. are.. formed with keyways and the four Aextreme clamps shown have keys entering thekeywa-ys as indicated by the short radial pin 44a. shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The rods 46 and 41 have rock. arms48--attached to. anv endof therod,

eachv arm carrying a spring-pressed plunger 49.

adapted to engage a-positioning notch in. an end wall of the drum. The two central clampsv are..

free on the rods; thus they. may. beoperated in.- dependently, being. readily opened by manual pressureron the. projecting tail portions. 44h of their movable jaws44.

When the untrimmed mat-.isrst placedon thedrum it is clamped at. opposite. ends bythe two central; clampsvonly. Then.- the shifting of one or the. other sets oiA clamps, by turni-ng therespective screw knobs 39,. causes the skewing of the. mat as may benecessaryl to bring its register marks intoy proper registration with the eye pieces about. to be described;` Buring this;p1e liminary positioning of the mat, theifour. ex,-n treme-clampsar-e held open, by. their respective rock arms 48: Ourthe-rods 46 and. 4] and are thus idle, becoming eiective only. afterthe mat has been. properly positioned, when they are released by thereok arms 48-andthen serve to complete the clamping.

To. insure the. mat's. lying; snugly on the drum after the first.l central. clamp has been applied, and as thedrum is being turned` by the hand wheei to bring the. other.V end of. the mat into. position for the application of. thesecond central clamp,- I- provide a pair of rollers` |90. (Figs. 1 and.` 5) rotatable on a rod IUI. carriedv by armsv |82 extending from the frame rod- IA and preferablyaseCond pair of rollers H35 carried` by shorter arms Illfalsormounted on the frame rod I4. All of these rollers bear lightly against the mat adjacent its edges.

The eye-pieces. 50.- through whichv the marks are-observed are each carried by an arm 5I ad- ;iustably clamped on the. stationary. frame rod |14.. Asshown. inv Fig. 8, eachar-m loops around the framerod, and; is split. at the far end` and tightened on. therod by' av clampingbol-t. 53. There areas many eye-pieces as. there. are. registrationf marks at one endo the mat and the eye pieces. arelong-tudinally shifted as: may be neo-v essary to cause them to register accurately with the different register marks atthe-flrst-clamped end of. the mat.

The eye-pieces maybe of any approved form, Asi indicated in Figs. Stand; '7, each: comprises a hollowba-rrel. 54 clamped in the arm 5ft by aset screw' 55, this barrel carrying longitudinally spaced cross wires, 5B', between glass: discs 51 and 58 atopposite ends ofthe barrel.

The means for etecting' the. longitudinal, trim@ ming ofthe positioned mat comprises av pair oifV rotary cutters 6I and 62, Fig. 1, mounted on .re-

spective shafts journaled in tubularv heads 63a on rock arms 63 which are mounted on a rock shaft 65. A foot treadle 66 is connected by a push rod El to a rockarm 68 (Figs. 4 and 5) on the shaft 65. This enables the cutters to be moved bodily into engagement with the opposite side margins 0f the mat on the drum, andthe drum is then turned by the hand wheel to effect the cutting.

To rotate the cutter wheels 6l and 62, I provide belt pulleys, as GS, on the cutter shafts, each pulley being connected by an elastic belt 1! with a pulley on a rotatably journaled driving shaft l2. This driving shaft carries a pulley 'i3 which is connected by a belt 'lil to a driving motor l5, Fig. 4, supported by the standard Iii. The two cuttersl are thus operated in unison when their motor is energized, as it may under control of a switch 'Il on the standard IG, and theV rotating cutters may be brought to active Vengagement with the mat whenever desired by the operation of the treadle 56. A counterweighted arm' 65a (Fig. 4) projecting rearwardly from the rock shaft 65, while not suihcient to lift the cutters,

' is effective in reducing the force required on the treadle 66. Accordingly, the mere depression of the treadle 66 swingsthe two rotating cutters into engagement with the two longitudinal margins of the mat and trims them accurately in parallelism and at right angles to the roller axis.

The swinging movement of the cutter-carrying arms is comparatively slight and does not interfere with the driving action of the elastic belts 1B. To steady the arms, I form their lower portions vvith arcuate slots 'i8 (Fig. 5) concentric of the shaft 35, the upper and lower edges of these slots occupying peripheral grooves in wheels 19 loose on the shaft l2.

The two cutters El and 62 are so located that their edges stand opposite grooves onV the drum 30 either between adjacent spaced shells 3| thereon or between the endmost shells and the end plates of the drum member. Accordingly, the mat bridges across open grooves in the regions where the cutters engage it, and the cutters may thus pass entirely through the mat.

By reason of the various shells being longitudinally adjustable on the drum, the cutting regions may be spaced as desired to accommodate mats of different widths, and the cutters with their supporting arms and driving mechanism may be bodily shifted longitudinally as required to cause them to stand opposite grooves on the cornpound drum. For this purpose the cutter arms are merely keyed to the shaft 65 and clamped in set position and the driving pulleysll are shiftable on their shaft 'IL The transverse cutting of the ends of the mat is also effected while the mat is on the drum. This is by means of a rotary cutter 80 (Figs. l and 4) which may engage the mat in the region between the clamps and the adjacent edges of the shells. The cutter 8B is rotatably mounted in a sliding carriage 82. This carriage has a dovetailed base 83 slidable along a longitudinal guideway in the top frame bar I3. Mounted on the base 83 is a motor 85, the shaft 86 of which is coupled to a shaft 8l which is connected by gears 88 to the shaft 39 of the cutter 8G. By this means the operation of the motor rotates the cutter.

The whole carriage with the motor, cutter and gearing is shifted longitudinally of the drum by a piston rod Si! carrying a piston in an air cylinder 9|, supported by a bracket l5 projecting 6 laterally from the rearfportion of the lframe standard I0. See Figs. 13 and 16.

When compressed air is admitted to the cylinder the carriage with its rotating cutter is shifted so as to cause the cutter to cut off one end of the mat. The path of travel of the cutter being parallel with the drumaxis, it follows that this cut-01T end of the mat is absolutely at right angles to the sides which have been trimmed in planes normal to the axis of the drum.

Following the operation of the end cutter, the same is retracted to normal idle position, then the drum is rotated by the hand wheel 25 to bring the other end of the mat into position aligning with the cutter, and the cutter is then moved by the air cylinder over that end of the mat. This cuts od the mat at the final end at right angles to the sides, and the nished mat drops freely onto aninclined discharge Vchute |08, Fig. il.

Y Any suitable means may be employed for controlling the air to the air cylinder. find it ccnvenient to provide a solenoid' operated'air valve indicated conventionally at Il in Fig. 17, the same being supplied from a suitable velectric source S and controlled by a switch,r as shown at |l|, on the front of the standard lil.

Recapitulating the operation of the machine shown, the mat is rst placed on the drum when the drum is in the positioned'indic'ated in Fig. 8 and the end of the mat isclamped by the central clamp of the 4| set, -care being taken to bring the central mark directly at the point aligning with the crossing of the wires of the central eye-piece. Then the-drum is turned, the rollers yand |05 holding the mat snugly on the drum, untilthe other end of the mat comes into the position for engagement by the clamps of the 42 set and the central clamp ofv that set is applied to the mat. Y

After the mat has been clamped by the two central clamps, one or the other or both of the bars 35, 3B is shiftedby the corresponding` knob 39 until the side marks ofthe first end of the mat accurately register with the two corresponding eye-pieces. When this has been done at the rst applied end of the mat, that end is Yeiectively clamped by the application of the two 4extreme clamps at thatend, operated by movement of the rock arm `48 on the shaft carrying those clamps. Then `thedrum is turnedto test'the position of the marksatv the other end of thev mat by the eye-piecesywhich retain the same position they hadwhen testing the firstend; If in suchtest the marks at the second end show inaccuracyV of the marks, as occasionally happens, the mat is discarded forthwith. 'If the testsh'ows'the marks at the second end to be proper, the operator knows that the mat is accurately marked and is accurately positioned on the drum. He then applies the two extreme clamps at that end by the operation of the corresponding rock arm, and the mat is then ready for the trimming operation.

The cutters 6| and 62 are now applied While rotating to the edges of the mat, by the depression of the treadle 66, and at the same time the mat is turned by the hand wheel, resulting in the two longitudinal edges of the mat being accurately trimmed. Then the drum is turned by the hand wheel as may be necessary to bring the end of the mat held by the clamps of the 42 set into position for transverse trimming, and such trimming effected. Then the drum is turned to feed the mat, freed at that end, partially onto the discharge chute |08 shown at Fig. 8, and,

7 when. the. other end iszin; position for -transverse trimming the transverse, cutteris .again shifted, cutting 01T the nal end of. the, mat. whereupon the nished mat slides down the chute 108.

It will be understood, from the disclosure in the drawings and the above description, that I have provided av machine in which a stereotype mat may be readily mounted and first tested for the accuracy of its register marks, and then if the marks are properly positioned on the mat the mat maybe quickly and smoothly trimmed on all four margins in exact accordance with the positions indicated by the lines oi register marks.

If the mat is found faulty on the eye-piece tests it is at once discarded; thus only those mats are delivered which are accurate throughout. Such accurate mat may be very readily mounted in the casting device with assurance that the stereotype plate will have its edges properly formed at right angles to each other and with its registration marks in proper relation thereto. Thus successive stereotype plates may be placed one after another in the printing press and operate to produce surmounting images in absolute registration.

I claim:

l. In an apparatus for testing stereotype mats, the combination of a rotary drum, means for clamping the ends'o a mat extending about the drum, a pair of eye-pieces axially spaced along the drum and adapted to register with register marks at the ends of the mat, means for positioning the mat axially to align the marks at one end with the spaced eye-pieces, and means for turning the drum to bring the marks at the other end of the mat into the field of observation of the eye-pieces without changing the position of the eye-pieces to compare the position of the latter marks with the positions of the marks at said one end of the mat.

2. In a machine for testing stereotype mats, the combination of a mat carrier movably mounted in a xed support, clamps on the carrier adapted to engage and hold opposite ends of the mat, a plurality of spaced eye-pieces ad- I 5 carrier to bring the marks at the other end of` the mat into the adjusted field of the corresponding eye-pieces for comparingv the position of the marks at the latter end of the mat with the position of the marks at the former end of the mat, each eye-piece comprising a hollow barrel having 81 two straightv wires crossing each other and longitudinally spaced alongv the barrel.

3. In a machine for use with stereotype mats, the combination of a rotatable carrier adapted to support a mat about the axis of rotation, a pair of bars, means disposed parallel to the axis on the carrier body and slidably receiving the bars for longitudinal movement along the carrier, and clamps carried by said bars and adapted to engage the ends of a mat, said clamps having anvil members secured to the bars and movable jaws pivoted to the anvil members.

4. In a machine for use with stereotype mats, the combination of a drum, a hand wheel, gearing between the hand wheel and drum whereby the hand Wheel may turn the drum, two sets of clamps, means movably supporting each set of clamps in circumferentially spaced relation for independent axial adjustment on the drum, each set of clamps adapted to engage opposite ends of a mat extending about the drum and including a freely operable clamp and a clamp coupled with mechanism adapted to hold it in open position.

5. In a machine for testing the position of register marks on stereotype mats, the combination of a rotary drum, a pair of cireumferentially spaced clamps axially centered and mounted on the drum and adapted to engage opposite ends of a mat extending about the drum, rollers bearing against the surface of the mat to maintain it smooth as the drum is turned, and eye-pieces spaced from each other along the drum axis and adapted to observe the position of the register marks on each end of the mat for comparison of their registration with each other and the eyepieces.

STEPHEN W. LIPPITT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,855 Frankbonery Sept. 13, 1938 505,352 Fenner Sept. 19, 1893 747,544 Fromm Dec. 22, 1903 1,896,690 White Feb. 7, 1922 1,482,391 English Feb. 5, 1924 1,725,779 Blaine Aug. 27, 1929 1,765,530 Harrold June 24, 1930 1,821,810 Ketzscher Sept. l, 1931 1,832,255 Springstead Nov. 17, 1931 1,860,361 Huebner May 3l, 1932 1,913,392 Jacobson June 13, 1933 2,104,553 Claybourn Jan. 4, 1938 2,109,207 Bungay Feb. 22, 1938 2,249,245 Hofrichter July 15, 1941 2,562,695 Brown July 31, 1951 

